Storage heater help

[Joanne211983]

Hi

I have just moved into flat turned storage heater on ready for night charge and it's heated up ?
I thought they only heat up at 7.
Scottish power has been a night mare trying to see if am economy 7 all i get is we are setting up your account can anyone help.

 

[stem]

The storage heater is not responsible for the time control. It will heat up whenever it is supplied with electricity. So the source of the electricity supply is where you need to start looking for answers.

The 'timed' electricity supply normally comes from a dedicated consumer unit just for the heating, that only receives power at 'off peak' times (for economy 7, it is for a seven hour period during the night / early morning) from a special dual rate electricity meter. This can sometimes include a 3 hour additional afternoon / evening boost, and is know as Economy 10, which may explain why yours heated up earlier, but it will depend upon the tarriff agreement with your electricity supplier.

It is possible that someone ignorant / incompetent has connected the storage heater to a non off-peak supply, in which case it would heat up whenever it was switched on.

 

[Bosswhite]

Check your meter for a start it should have two readings on it , may have different names High / Low . Night/ Day,
you should be able to see a timer on it which shows the time it switches onto night and off in the day .

 

[stem]

It can be difficult to tell if you have a new type meter, because they don't have a separate timer, and have just a single digital display which can be switched between the different tariffs by pushing a button. To the uninitiated, they are not easily distinguishable from standard single rate meters.

Old style with visible twin readings and a separate timeswitch.

Typical new style dual rate meter with single switchable display, and no external timeswitch:

 

[Joanne211983]

It can be difficult to tell if you have a new type meter, because they don't have a separate timer, and have just a single digital display which can be switched between the different tariffs by pushing a button. To the uninitiated, they are not easily distinguishable from standard single rate meters.

Old style with visible twin readings and a separate timeswitch.

View attachment 142492

Typical new style dual rate meter with single switchable display, and no external timeswitch:

View attachment 142493

This is meter if any help

 

[Joanne211983]

The storage heater is not responsible for the time control. It will heat up whenever it is supplied with electricity. So the source of the electricity supply is where you need to start looking for answers.

The 'timed' electricity supply normally comes from a dedicated consumer unit just for the heating, that only receives power at 'off peak' times (for economy 7, it is for a seven hour period during the night / early morning) from a special dual rate electricity meter. This can sometimes include a 3 hour additional afternoon / evening boost, and is know as Economy 10, which may explain why yours heated up earlier, but it will depend upon the tarriff agreement with your electricity supplier.

It is possible that someone ignorant / incompetent has connected the storage heater to a non off-peak supply, in which case it would heat up whenever it was switched on.

Thanks my supplier is a nightmare so does that mean if am not on economy 7 it will heat up any time it's on as it seems to heat up any time. Thanks

 

[Diver Fred]

Looks like you have a Pre-payment 'Smart Meter'. You certainly have more than 2 cables leaving the meter which is indicative of dual rate charging - can we have a picture of the consumer unit (fuse box). It is very possible with a 'smart meter' and time switch that you will get the amount of hours of Off-peak electricity every day but not necessarily at the hours you expect (overnight). (e.g. my fathers place has 10 hours a day - typically 04:00 to 10:00 and 15:00 to 19:00 on a radio controlled 'time switch'…)

 

[Joanne211983]

These are all the meters and fuse boxes

 

[stem]

It appears that you do have two separate supplies. The consumer unit on the left will be the normal supplies for your sockets and lights etc., the one on the right is probably for the storage heater(s) and maybe heating the hot water. What is being controlled should be written above the circuit breakers. What does it say?

Turn off the the big red switch on the right consumer unit, and see if the heater warms up now. If not, you do have a separate supply for it, but if it is coming on when it shouldn't that can only be rectified by your electricity supplier.

 

[Joanne211983]

Do u mean this one I think it is off? I've never touched it

 

[stem]

That's the one. the clue is that it says "Storage Heater" above the circuit breaker. And you are right, it's off so the heater shouldn't be working.

Some storage heaters have an option to have a built in convector heater that is designed to work anytime when additional heat is required and will have a separate supply for this. I don't think yours (XLN) does, but can't tell from the photo. If it does there will be some other controls on it elsewhere, and two supply cables going to it.

 

[Joanne211983]

That's the one. the clue is that it says "Storage Heater" above the circuit breaker. And you are right, it's off so the heater shouldn't be working.

Some storage heaters have an option to have a built in convector heater that is designed to work anytime when additional heat is required and will have a separate supply for this. I don't think yours (XLN) does, but can't tell from the photo. If it does there will be some other controls on it elsewhere, and two supply cables going to it.

Do u mean 2 cables going into actual heater and should I turn that on the red switch pls

 

[stem]

If yours does have a convector built in, there will be two supplies going into the heater, they may at opposite ends, or together, something like this:

One would be from the 'off-peak' consumer unit and the other from the normal supply. I'm fairly sure though that, that type of Dimplex heater was called a CXLN not a XLN which yours appears to be. The 'C' being added to show the presence of a 'Convector'. In effect there are two heaters in one cabinet. A storage heater that stores up heat during the off-peak periods and a separate convector that works at any time.

Can you post a photo of the wall outlet(s) for your heater?

Another possibility, is that at some time the off-peak supply has been discontinued, but the meter not changed, and someone has then wired the storage heater into the normal supply, in which case it would heat up at any time. As the consumer unit marked 'storage heater' is permanently switched off, if your heater doesn't have an inbuilt convector, this is looking to be a possibility.

 

[Joanne211983]

If yours does have a convector built in, there will be two supplies going into the heater, they may at opposite ends, or together, something like this:

View attachment 142542

One would be from the 'off-peak' consumer unit and the other from the normal supply. I'm fairly sure though that, that type of Dimplex heater was called a CXLN not a XLN which yours appears to be. The 'C' being added to show the presence of a 'Convector'. In effect there are two heaters in one cabinet. A storage heater that stores up heat during the off-peak periods and a separate convector that works at any time.

Can you post a photo of the wall outlet(s) for your heater?

Another possibility, is that at some time the off-peak supply has been discontinued, but the meter not changed, and someone has then wired the storage heater into the normal supply, in which case it would heat up at any time. As the consumer unit marked 'storage heater' is permanently switched off, if your heater doesn't have an inbuilt convector, this is looking to be a possibility.

 

[stem]

Thanks. That looks as it should, so doesn't help unfortunately, and if that's the only supply, then it doesn't have a convector heater built in.

That connection point should not be receiving power at any time whilst the aforesaid supply from the right hand consumer unit is switched 'off' and even if it were switched 'on' it should only receive power during the 'off-peak' supply. So, something seems to be amiss and will need investigation. Unfortunately it's not something that can be done over a forum, it will need someone competent with test equipment to examine the installation and find out what's going on.